ahead of a storm. Do most people not keep more than 24 hours worth of food in their homes? Or toilet paper?

It's just common sense.

None of those carts look outrageous.

More, closer to a week's worth, after my weekly shopping excursion. Right now the only thing I am almost completely out of is the half and half for my coffee, and I will be going to the grocery store a bit later today. Let's see, I'll get the half and half, a bag of ice (I buy my ice because if I make it, it seems to have a funky taste, although I find my tap water to be perfectly palatable), and probably a loaf of bread, because I have some sandwich makings in the cupboard. That, along with my recent making and freezing of curried chicken and chicken soup and I won't really need to buy any more groceries for a week.

I'm in Santa Fe, we had some snow early this morning. Not sure if this is the same storm center on its way to Iowa. In any case, everyone stay safe.

and I happen to be in an area where I almost never experience power outages, and the rare times they've occurred it's been for at most a half hour. I've lived out in rural areas and I know how different it can be.

I do have a gas stove, so even without electricity I could still cook.

Back in 2002 due to a huge ice storm.

I'm here to tell you the amount of food kids can go through in that time is mind-boggling. And the amount of wine I required dealing with it all. Lol.

and at least three different times most of the metro area lost power due to ice storms. Some were without power themselves for six days. I happened to live in a specific area where we never lost power during any of those, and that should be a strong selling point for that house some day.

I agree. The wine stock up is at least as important as the food. Heck, the kids can forage for grass and berries, right?

No entertainment about killed me.

I know, most of us have lost connection with them.

I have a couple of friends here who love to play traditional board games, and it's always giant fun. They also have a regular Friday night card thing with some other friends, I'm not invited to that one but there's just not room in their small home for everyone.

So it wasn't a complete loss.

My youngest abandoned us for friends with power. ..

I can picture the exact same thing happening in our house over a multi-day power outage. Oldest son, play games. Youngest, off to a house with electricity!

in the event of a bad storm, the entire family will be at home eating 3 meals for a number of days, rather than eating out, at school, at work, etc.

A family can go through a lot of food and other supplies in 3-4 days. And if you have no power, your needs are different that they would be otherwise.

As for widespread power outages, good luck filling up your tank after the fact. I speak from painful experience on this.

It's a smart thing to do.

... I think stocking up is, in many ways, merely a psychological feel good activity. Something in our brains just feels calmer if we think we are well prepared for a bad time. That alone makes it worthwhile. Plus, it clears all of the old Twinkies off the shelves.

Maybe bought some more water ahead of a storm.

Now in NC, I think we could live for weeks on what we have. It just became a habit.

Not to mention the chickens, ducks, and the geese lol.

Surely peeps in Nebraska are prepared for storms?

this is what just left, and it did a number in the West Coast, a tad more energetic than expected, though less water.

The wind warning and winds up to 75 mph I thought the windows were going to break a few times. And yes, we did lose poser (for two hours) but we did.

One person killed and two reporters seriously injured from yet another falling tree.